Melanie Duncan: why context is everything in international education (and why student services is being hollowed out)

A student storms into Melanie Duncan’s office in tears, shaking with certainty that Australia is an “awful place”… because we eat our dogs.The evidence? He saw “dog bones” at the supermarket.It sounds ridiculous, until you realise what Melanie has spent nearly three decades learning the hard way: without context, even the most well-meaning support can miss the mark. Recorded at the IEC conference, this episode is a warm, funny, occasionally brutal reality check on what international student support really looks like when it is done properly. Melanie takes us from the classic student-services moments you laugh about later, to the high-stakes cases that stay with you for years, and the quiet expertise it takes to hold it all together.Along the way, we unpack:Why the best practitioners become masters of the right question at the right timeWhat “visa-informed” support actually means, and why it cannot be replaced by a knowledge baseThe cultural faux pas that shaped Melanie’s early years, and the training that changed everythingHow “international student services” is being mainstreamed, and why Melanie calls it a dying artThe political rhetoric that has fuelled uncertainty for students, and frustration across the sectorThe part nobody wants to talk about: COVID, staff cuts, and losing experienced practitioners when students still needed themWhat it is like to step out of institutions and build a consulting business built on one idea, compliance done well should equal a better student experienceThere’s mentorship, nostalgia, a few sharp edges, and a genuine reminder that international education is still full of people who care deeply, even when the systems around them make it harder than it should be.Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Angelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets. For guest suggestions and feedback, email [email protected]